The Best Pee Bottle is not a Bottle

You can’t really pee out the front door of your tent at a crowded campsite, especially in mixed company

Sometimes you can’t leave your tent to take a pee. There might be a rain or snowstorm outside, it might be frigid cold and windy, or you might be surrounded by other campers at a crowded tent site where you can’t simply pee out the front door at night, and you don’t feel like taking a long walk to the bathrooms, especially if you need to do it several times in one night.

While many hikers, especially winter hikers, carry a carefully marked wide-mouth Nalgene or Gatorade bottle to pee into, both of these bottles take up a lot of space in your backpack that you might need for other clothing, gear or food. My winter pack is jammed tight and there’s simply no room to carry a rigid bottle.

Packit Gourmet Flat Bottomed Cook-in-Bag

Those are some of the reasons why I prefer carrying a medium or large Cook-in-Bag from Packit Gourmet for peeing into when I don’t want to leave my tent do to foul weather or crowded camping conditions. Weighing just 10 grams (size medium/holds 3.5 cups) or 13 grams (size large/holds 6 cups), these thick gusseted Ziploc bags stand up by themselves and stay tightly locked even if they tip over, preventing messy accidents inside your shelter. In the morning, you can easily slip them under your coat and discretely empty them out of sight and then re-seal them and roll them up for easy storage and reuse at your next tent site.

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49 comments

Great idea for most situations. But, a word of caution! I tried using similar product as a pee bag while climbing Aconcagua a few years ago. It worked well until one night when we had temps down to -21F and the bag cracked and leaked despite the bag having been kept in my sleeping bag inside the tent.

I think some women use funnels or other similar devices so that they can do this. I wouldn’t bother, as I don’t like the idea of having a bottle of pee in my tent and I’m not so hard-core that I am likely to find myself in a situation where I can’t leave my tent.

I have for some time used a wide nalgene bottle to P in. I have camped all over and at different altitudes and conditions. I manage fine in a small back packing tent. I have never used a sheewee as they are just something else to buy,carry and clean. I also use a LaserLight tent which I can P between the inner and the fly sheet, very handy on busy MM and in bad weather. I do know someone who uses a wide nalgene bottle to P in and drink out of :(

“There might be a rain or snowstorm outside, it might be frigid cold and windy, or you might be surrounded by other campers at a crowded tent site where you can’t simply pee out the front door at night, and you don’t feel like taking a long walk to the bathrooms, especially if you need to do it several times in one night.”

— Then you simply do not have to pee badly enough. Pee bottles of any sort are kind of disgusting. Just get up and get yourself to an appropriate place to urinate.

When it’s -20 below outside your tent I think you will reconsider this approach. What if you were hiking in a park that required you to pack out your waste? It would be super gross, but what other choice would you have, right?

It’s possible for women to pee into a smaller area than many would think, and I find it can be easier than avoiding peeing on my shoes (slope, rocks, creeping leaves); it requires some .. adjustment. Ever pee on yourself while sitting on a regular toilet? Some of us have, there are usually ways to figure out how to straighten yourself out so you have a stream instead of a fountain. ;) much cleaner finish, too.

If you use freeze dried meals that cook in their packages these usually come with ziplocs and can be used as pee-bottles. I only use this in winter, but a couple of years ago on Finnmarksvidda I lost track of this well filled p-bottle. After some frantic minutes I found it squeezed flat under my sleeping pad… Not my best winter camping moment. Fortunately, snow is very aborbent so I managed to mop most of it up.

Using the cook bag seems risky. When I’m using a pee bottle I’m usually on a glacier and it is usually cold. I don’t want to get out of my sleeping bag and I can easily pee into a nalgene without exiting my bag (I keep the pee bottle in my bag). Doing this with a cook bag seems fraught with peril. Last thing I want is a pee soaked sleeping bag.

It all depends I guess. The advantage of using a food package is that you need not carry an extra piece of gear. I never felt the need to use a pee-bottle in my sleeping bag, but if that is the only practical solution I would certainly go for something bomb-proof.

I think that this is a great idea. Of course there are risks–temperature causing the bag to crack–as some have pointed out, but the risks are variable. Personally, I think that this is a great 3 season solution. I guess you could lower winter risks if you make a cozy for the bag :-) But something doesn’t quite sound right about making a pee cozy.

I will definitely consider this for my 3 season backpacking. When the rain and wind are ripping at 2am, I don’t mind making a #1 in a bag in my tent.

And for those making a fuss about the hygienical concerns, well… keep in mind you have to pack out your own #2 in some places.

To pee, or not to pee, that is the question— Whether ’tis Nobler in the mind to suffer The Pained discomfort of overfilled Bladders, Or to take Aim against a Pee bottle bag, Or by going outside? To pee, to sleep— Relief; and by a sleep, to say we end The Gut-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks From that cold air out? ‘Tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. To pee, to sleep, To sleep, perchance to Dream; Aye, there’s the rub, For to get that sleep and dream, we must pee…

A two liter milk, juice or other carton can be split at the top for use by women. These can also be used for #2 in those situations where you have to pack everything out. They also fold flat when empty.

Women can also practice the technique that other women use to pee in small opening containers. I won’t go into it here:-)

I just use the bag from my MH or BPP dinner. Its about the same size and seals up just as well. In most cases I’ll fill it and just unzip a small portion of the tent and set it just outside. But there’ve been two cases where it was colder than expected so after filling and sealing it, I wrapped it with a piece of duct tape, then used it as a hot water bottle to get some extra warmth. In fact, I always recycle two MH or BPP bags this way… the first one is for pee… the bfast one is used to store all my trash including other MH or BPP bags over the next few days.

It takes some practice, but I’ve used those leak-proof zip-lock bags. After using one, you have to be careful to keep them standing up during the night just in case. It’s amazing how full they will get during the night if you gotta go several times, and this makes them heavy and hard to handle. I worry about them breaking and leaking. Best to dump the bag immediately after a pee into a disposable plastic water bottle, which also takes some care. Next day after you dump them, rinse out the plastic bag and/or bottle. They get stinky in a hurry. I also made a pee funnel from a plastic hand lotion container, which let me pee in the bottle without having to deal with the plastic bag. Ladies, minimize the amount of wiping paper you need by trimming your pubic hair fairly short with a scissors before your trip. DON”T use one of those hair razor cutters! It makes the hair ends sharp and prickly and you will have an irritating itch!

the next time you’re someplace where they sell a box of Joe(coffee) after they’re done with the box open the box and remove the bladder. It makes for a very convenient urinal for use at night. its huge but doesn’t weigh much it’s made of mylar,so its rugged and has a screw top so you don’t have to worry about it I accidentally leaking.

It’s that winter camping that requires you really think how cold it’s going to be vs. the relief you’re about to achieve! Another important note: when it’s very cold outside, your body is using energy to maintain your core temperature, especially with a full bladder. With an empty bladder, you expend less energy to do so.

I use the soft Nalgene 96oz wide-mouth canteen water bottle. It costs around $19. It seems less likely to leak than a zip lock type of bag if it’s tipped over. I marked it as a waste bottle. I fold it up flat and pack it in a plastic bag in the outside rear mesh of my pack.

Box of Joe bladder worked awesome. Supper strong, lightweigth and seals better then a ziplock. You sold me. Someone should market these for that purpose. The only down side is they are much bigger then needed. Does anyone know if they make a smaller size?

I don’t know about urine specifically, but in regions where bears have learned to associate humans with food, then bears are attracted to any scent left by humans, such as camp fire smoke. In other words, food smells are not the only ones which may attract bears if the bears are trying to find people in the first place. Bears may also be attracted by the noises people make for the same reason. In regions where bears have learned to avoid humans (i.e. where bears are hunted) the opposite holds true. The real question isn’t what attracts bears in general, but how bears have learned to behave with respect to people in specific areas. I agree with Phil that urine attracts deer. I think that is probably the deer seeking the salt from the pee.

I enjoy discovering these old threads when someone posts a new comment. I use a pee bottle routinely, since I have old man issues, but have never considered any resealable bag secure enough. But, maybe I’ll try Packit Gourmet just to see. I’ve been using a wide-mouthed bottle that peanuts came in, since the cap screws down tightly but the plastic is lighter weight than a Nalgene or similar bottle.

Many years ago while on an expedition in Iceland and camping up high on the main ice sheet Vatnajokull we used plastic bottles that had had powdered milk. But there is added value. Put the pee-filled bottle into your boot and have pre-warmed feet! Ok maybe not, but it did prevent them from freezing up.